Robert Köhler

Born:	09-16-1884
Faculty:	Medical School | Medical University Vienna
Category:	Expelled teacher

Robert KOEHLER (born on September 16^th, 1884 in Vienna, died on May 24^th, 1955 in New York City, NY/USA) was private lecturer ("Privatdozent") for obstetrics and gynecology at the Medical School of the University of Vienna. He was persecuted in times of Nazism as a Jew, lost his position on April 22^nd, 1938 and was forced to leave the university. After graduating from high school ("Gymnasium") in 1903 he enrolled at the Medical School of the University of Vienna and gained his doctoral degree (MD, "Dr.med.univ.") in 1908 and immediately started a training at the pathology department at Wilhelminenspital (Vienna); 1909/1910 he became a surgeon at the I. university-clinic for surgery at the central hospital of Vienna, and in 1911 he worked as external physician at the I. univerisity-clinic for obstetrics; 1913-1919 he became assistant at the gynecological department of the Wieden-Hospital (Vienna). In 1920 he habilitated for obstetrics and gynecology at the Medical School of the University of Vienna and specialized in endocrinology and geriatrics and opened a private practice. In 1930 he became chief physician for gynecology at the workers health insurance funds ("Arbeiter-Krankenkasse") in Vienna. Robert Koehler had to flee from Vienna after the socalled "Anschluss" (he had lived in Viennas' 1^st district, Spiegelgasse 8) and he succeeded to emigrate  to New York/USA in 1938. There he continued to work as a physician at Beth Israel Hospital, at Brooklyn Hebrew Home and at the Hospital for the Aged in New York. He died in New York in 1955.

Lit.: FISCHER 1932/33, 789; MERINSKY 1980, 131-132; MUEHLBERGER 1993, 26; UB MedUni Vienna/van Swieten Blog; BLUMESBERGER 2002, Bd. 2, 699; Archive of the University of Vienna/Personalbogen S 304.630.

Herbert Posch